The famous Australian actor, Heath Ledger, was known with his movies, “10 Things I Hate About You,” “The Patriot,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “Monster’s Ball,” “Brokeback Mountain,” and “The Dark Knight.”
He was one of the most talented actors of his period.
Sadly, he lost his life at the age of 28, on the 22nd of January, 2008. He was a father, an environmentalist, and a talented actor. His body was found in a rented house, next to a rolled up $20 bill.
In 2005, Ledger had received many praising with his role, Ennis Del Mar, in Brokeback Mountain, along with Jake Gyllenhaal. With the movie, Ledger received nominations for Best Actor, in the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
And on the set of the movie, Ledger also met with his girlfriend, Michelle Williams. After their relationship started, the couple moved to New York, and had their daughter, Matilda Rose in 2005.
As he acted in various famous movies, he also wanted to be a director, and even, he directed some music videos.
As he was successful in his career, he had some problems in his life. He was having a problem with his fame, and the interest of media. He also had insomnia and anxiety. And in 2007, Williams and Ledger separated.
Some people are saying that playing the iconic character, Joker in The Dark Night, may have affected him in a bad way, as he was already mentally struggling.
Gerry Grennel, dialect coach and friend of Ledger, had stated that Ledger was trying prescription drugs to overcome his insomnia, but still, he was having problems with sleeping.
“I would hear him wandering around the apartment, and I’d get up and say, ‘Come on, man, get back to bed. You have to work tomorrow,” Grennell recalled, and he stated that Ledger would say back, “I can’t sleep, man.”
For his last days, Grennell described Ledger as, “exhausted, emotionally and physically.”
Djimon Hounsou, co-star of Ledger, from The Four Feathers, had stated, “I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, and, ‘Wow, Heath has this change.’ But the way he has changed kind of got me a little concerned.”
But, his sister Kate stated that her brother was a happy man. On the last week she saw Ledger, Kate said, “I just said, ‘You’ve got to be very careful mixing things,’ and he was like, ‘Katie, hello, come on, of course.'”
And on the last time, when they spoke over the phone, Kate shared, “We were laughing. Then he said, ‘I’ve got to go, and I’ll call you at 8:30 in the morning.’ That was our last conversation.'”
Steve Alexander, the longtime friend of Ledger, had stated that they spoke on the evening, before Ledger passed, as Alexander said, “We had a great chat. He sounded super happy, all good, nothing out of the ordinary.”
Matt Amato, another friend of Ledger stated that he was the usual Heath, making jokes and having energy in his crowded schedule.
His last words to Amato were, “I’m going out to buy some cigs.”, which Amato joked as, “Figs,” which was a part of their friendship, where they were making bad pun jokes to each other.
After he finished his part in The Dark Knight, Ledger moved to his rented apartment in SoHo, Manhattan. At that time in 2007, Ledger was working on Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” and wanted to spend some time with his daughter.
Sadly, on the 22nd of January, 2008, Ledger was unresponsive in his bed, which he was found by his housekeeper and his masseuse. He was lying on the ground, at the apartment, where he was paying $25,000 monthly. His housekeeper and his masseuse tried CPR on him, and called the authorities, but he was long gone at the time. He was 28, when he lost his life.
At the scene, authorities had found prescription drugs, painkillers, sleeping pills and anxiety pills. And also, a rolled-up $20 bill was found near him. The autopsy revealed that there were no illegal drugs found in his system.
The police stated that there was no foul play in Ledger’s passing, and called it as an accident. His passing had shocked his fans, and his family, as no one would expect him dying. Many people from the industry had shed tears after Ledger, as he was one of the best of his era, both talentwise, and characterwise.
On the 9th of February, 2008, his family and friends had attented to his funeral.
“The Dark Knight” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” were released after his passing, and honored his memory. After the movies, his role with Joker, had received Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor.
On his honor, his family were applauded on the stage, as they accepted his awards. His daughter, Matilda is 18 years old now. Ledger’s life was become subject for many other projects, as, “I Am Heath Ledger,” “Too Young to Die,” and “The Last Days of Heath Ledger.”
Ledger also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a scholarship was named after him, by Australians in Film. Also, a theater named after Ledger, in Perth.
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